Courthouse and Basic Package Ceremony Wording
We are gathered here today, to honor and to celebrate
the marriage of ____ and ____
Marriage is defined as a public declaration
of two people
to accept each as a married couple
But beyond that it means that
you are making a commitment to each other
to always be there for each other
It means that you will be there
to share in each other's joy during happy occasions
and to be there to support and comfort one another
during difficult times
It means that you will walk the path of life along side one another
and experience everything it has to offer you
together
as a married couple
Do you ____, take ____ to be your husband/wife
from this day forward,
to honor and to cherish him/her,
in sickness and in health
for richer or for poorer,
and will be faithful to him/her,
for as long as you both shall live?
(OPTIONAL) Your wedding rings are an outward and visible sign
of your eternal love for each other.
As you look upon them from day to day
May they remind you of the promises you have made here together
place the ring on his/her finger and repeat after me:
With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge you, my love.
____ and ____
because you have now both declared your intention
to take each other in marriage
through these vows that you have accepted
and these rings you have exchanged
With the authority that has been granted to me
by the Commonwealth of Virginia, it is my great honor and proud privilage
to pronounce that you are now
married!!!
You may now kiss!!!
Formal and Semi-Formal Ceremony Wording
We are gathered here today, to celebrate
the coming together of two lives.
To bear witness to the joining of ____and ____in marriage.
To be with them, and rejoice with them, in the making of this very important commitment.
Marriage, is traditionally thought of, as the union of two people.
But it is also about the uniting of two families.
By your presence here today, as the family and friends of ____ and ____,
you celebrate with them the love that they have discovered in each other,
and give them your support, and wish, for a long and happy life together.
Who gives ____ to be married to ____ (optional).
The greatest happiness of life, is the conviction that we are loved.
If there is anything better then being loved, it is to love.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast.
It is not proud. It is not rude, self seeking or easily angered.
Love keeps no records of wrongs.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
____ and____ we are here then today, to celebrate the love, which you have for each other,
and to recognize your decision to take each other in marriage.
It is a decision that means
that you will promise to always be there for each other
To share in each others joys, during happy occasions
And to be there to support and comfort one another
during difficult times.
It means that
you will walk the path of life alongside each other
and experience everything it has to offer you
together
as a married couple
The Expression of Intent
___ you have chosen ____ to be your husband/wife. Is it your intention to love and respect him/her and be honest with him/her and stand by him/her, through whatever may come?
The Exchange of vows
____ and ____, we now come to your vows. Place face each other as I read them to you.
May I remind you that, saying your vows are one thing, but nothing is more challenging than living them day to day.
What you promise here today,
must be renewed tomorrow,
and each and every day that stretches out before you.
Do you ____ take ____ to be your husband/wife, to have and to hold
from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish him/her, and to be faithful to him/her alone.
Or this version if you would like to repeat your vows to each other
(you can use these words or substitute your own. I will give you a few at a time.)
I ____ take you ____ to be my husband/wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, to honor and to cherish you, in sickness and health, for richer for poorer, and will be faithful to you, for as long as we both shall live.
Or this if you have written your own vows and are reading them to each other
Instead of traditional wedding vows, ____ and ____ have written and will now read their own vows to each other. Please turn and face each other and ____ you may begin.
Affirmation of the marriage
Everyday that you look upon these rings,
may they remind you of the promises you have made here today.
May the love which has brought you together,
continue to grow and enrich your lives.
And may everything you have said and done here today, become a living truth in your lives.
The Giving and Receiving of Rings
please place the ring on her finger and repeat after me:
With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge you my love.
Options would take place at this point
Declaration of Marriage
____ and ____, we have heard you promise to share your lives in marriage.
Having sealed these vows with the giving and receiving of your rings
and affirming your acceptance of the responsibilities of such a union
by pledging your love and faith to each other.
We recognize and respect the promises you have made here today.
Therefore, in the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done,
With the power that has been granted to me by the Commonwealth of Virginia,
It is my great honor, and proud privilege, to pronounce that you are now married!!!
You may now kiss!!!
Introduction of the couple
Please join me now in congratulating ____ and ____ as the newly married couple.
Religious Formal and Semi-Formal Ceremony Wording
We are gathered here today, before God and these witnesses, to celebrate
the coming together of separate lives.
We are here to bear witness to the joining of ____and ____in matrimony.
To be with them, and rejoice with them, in the making of this very important commitment.
Marriage, is traditionally thought of, as the union of two people.
But it is also about the uniting of two families.
By your presence here today, as the family and friends of ____ and ____,
you celebrate with them the love that they have discovered in each other,
and give them your support, and wish, for a long and happy life together.
Who gives ____ to be married to ____.
A reading from the New Testament of the Holy Bible - First Corinthians:
The greatest happiness of life, is the conviction that we are loved.
If there is anything better then being loved, it is to love.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast.
It is not proud. It is not rude, self seeking or easily angered.
Love keeps no records of wrongs.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
____ and ____ we are here then today, to celebrate the love, which you have for each other,
and to recognize your decision to take each other in marriage.
It is a decision that means
that you will promise to always be there for each other
To share in each other's joy, during happy occasions
And to be there to support and comfort one another
during difficult times.
It means that
you will walk the path of life alongside each other
and experience everything that it has to offer you
together
as a married couple.
The Expression of Intent
___ you have chosen ____ to be your husband/wife. Is it your intention to love and respect him/her and be honest with him/her and stand by him/her, through whatever may come?
The Exchange of vows
____ and ____, we now come to your vows. Please face each other as I read them to you.
May I remind you that, saying your vows are one thing, but nothing is more challenging than living them day to day.
What you promise here today,
must be renewed tomorrow,
and each and every day that stretches out before you.
Do you ____ take ____ to be your husband/wife, to have and to hold
from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, to love and to cherish him/her, and to be faithful to him/her alone.
Affirmation of the marriage
Everyday that you look upon these rings,
may they remind you of the promises you have made here today.
May the love which has brought you together,
continue to grow and enrich your lives.
And may everything you have said and done here today, become a living truth in your lives.
The Giving and Receiving of Rings
please place the ring on his/her finger and repeat after me:
With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge you my love.
Options would take place at this point
Let us now offer a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing for ____ and ____: Father we thank you for this joyous day. Thank you for Your Light that has entered the lives of ____ and ____. Thank you for all the miracles and blessings that you have given to us in our lives. Please bless this union and help ____ and ____ find the perfect place in this world for their love to flourish. And let the radiant light of their love shine on all of those around them. Bless them with the inner gifts of trust, compassion, forgiveness and truth that they may live and grow together in love and peace.
Declaration of Marriage
____ and ____, we have heard you promise to share your lives in marriage.
Having sealed these vows with the giving and receiving of your rings
and affirming your acceptance of the responsibilities of such a union
by pledging your love and faith to each other before God and these witnesses.
We recognize and respect the promises you have made here today.
Therefore, in the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done,
With the power that has been granted to me by the Commonwealth of Virginia,
It is my great honor, and proud privilege, to pronounce that you are now married!!!
You may now kiss!!!
Introduction of the couple
Please join me now in congratulating ____ and ____ as the newly married couple.